Case Report
SystemicLupusErythematosusPresentingwithIschemicProctitis
and Abdominal Compartment Syndrome
Yousaf Bashir Hadi ,
1
John Lindsay IV,
2
Syeda Fatima Zehra Naqvi,
1
and Hatim Al-Jaroushi
3
1
Department of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
2
West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA
3
Department of Medicine, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Yousaf Bashir Hadi; yousaf.hadi@hsc.wvu.edu
Received 20 July 2019; Accepted 13 January 2020; Published 13 February 2020
Academic Editor: Olga I. Giouleme
Copyright © 2020 Yousaf Bashir Hadi et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Ischemic colitis and proctitis is a rare manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (LE) and results from mesenteric vasculitis.
Owing to diverse blood supply and presence of multiple collaterals, rectum is the least effected site in LE enteritis. Ischemic
proctocolitis as the presenting feature of LE is exceedingly rare, with only three cases reported in the published scientific
literature. We present the first case of LE presenting as ischemic proctitis, leading to intraperitoneal hemorrhage and abdominal
compartment syndrome. A young lady presented with ischemic proctitis and a hematoma masquerading as a pelvic mass, with
subsequent development of massive intraperitoneal hemorrhage, shock, and rectal perforation. e patient required urgent
surgery and was initiated on high-dose steroids.
1. Introduction
Ischemic colitis and proctitis is a rare manifestation of
systemic lupus erythematosus (LE). It results from small-
vessel vasculitis and is accompanied by high LE disease
activity, and can affect the small or large intestine. Diag-
nosis is confirmed with sigmoidoscopy and histopathology.
Ischemic proctocolitis as the presenting feature of LE is
exceedingly rare, with only three cases reported in the
published scientific literature [1–3]. No prior reports of
hemorrhagic shock and perforations in this setting exist in
the current literature. We present the first reported case of
ischemic proctocolitis leading to massive intraperitoneal
hemorrhage and hemorrhagic shock, with subsequent
perforation as the initial presentation of LE.
2. Case Presentation
A 39-year-old female presented to West Virginia University
Hospitals’ Intensive care unit as a transfer from an outside
facility. he had initially presented to the outside facility with
abdominal pain of 2 weeks’ duration. e patient experi-
enced worsening abdominal pain and weakness on the day of
presentation, which prompted her to report to the outside
facility. he was found to have a skin rash, involving her
arms and face, which was biopsied, revealing a leukocyto-
clastic vasculitis. he was also found to have severe anemia
and ascites. A computed tomography (CT) scan without
contrast was concerning for an irregularity in the rectal
lumen with a perirectal pelvic mass or hematoma. Over the
course of her stay there, she developed hypotension and
shock; she was intubated and transferred to our facility for
further evaluation and management.
On presentation to West Virginia University, she was
found to be in shock. he endorsed a past history of
thrombocytopenia; the patient had been told that she had
idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and splenectomy. he
reported lower abdominal pain. Her initial blood pressure
was 82/50, and she was pale on examination with large, tense
ascites. Her hemoglobin on arrival was 4.4 gram/dl, white
Hindawi
Case Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine
Volume 2020, Article ID 5723403, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/5723403